Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-27

I Fort w ORTIZ.
"Of course all these turns ale notaCute
angles, and, from an off-hand drawing, it
/ is impossible to make the distances geo
graphically accurate, but the outline ap-
/ proximates precision sufficiently to give
8 not intolerable idea Of the general char
aCter of the road. 1t is Just nineteen
miles from Fort Worth to Grapevine on
the proposed straight road, and as the
road now winds the distance is twenty
seven miles. This Is a sample of the
other roads. The road to Decatur has
not so many abrupt turns, but there are
/ two or three enormous divergencies
around pastures and through lanes which
stretches to forty-two or three miles g
road which should be only thirty-hve.
! Then, there is the road to Cleourne,
which is thirty-three miles, and should be
/ twenty-eight, and others l could name.
The Mansfield and Arlington roads are
comparatively straight, but could be i'm
proved. The road to Keller, which is
seventeen miles, should be Strengthened
and shortened TO thirteen and one-half
miles, and so on"
Reporter-"Is any effort being made to
have these roads Strengthened and i'm
proved?"
Said Colonel Chambers eyes, sir; the
present commissioners on the Grandview
straight rosd, Messrs. Walker, BRAY,
Clark, Williamson, Currie and others,
have been faithfully at work on the pro-
posed new road and are meeting with
moderate success. These gentlemen have
taken this matter il hand and are pushing
il through They certainly are deserving
of the confidence and esteem of the
whole public for their disinter-
ested labor. Little can be &C
complished at present, however, for lack
of FUNDS. The preliminary work ofsur-
veving and obtaining right OF way can
be completed, and after this year there
will be an ample fund in the treasury to
do the work of grading and building.
You see, one road and bridge fund has
been expended in paying of certain bonds
and the county could not get to use it.
The King Bridge Company agreed to
take the proceeds arising from fines and
forfeitures in their original contract and
with this understanding bonds were is
sued Later, in 1888, when the Constitu-
tional amendment was adopted authoriZ-
ing a tsx of 10 cents on the 500, to be
levied for read and bridge purposes, the
King Bridge Company, some way or
other, were allowed to surrender their
old bonds and accept new ones. These
new bonds not only took up the fund aris-
ing from fines and forfeitures-abcut
SO, OOO-but also the furd raised by the
new tax for roads and bridges, amount
ing to about SIS, coo. Thus, out of all
her taxes, the county had not q dollar fer
her own use. These bonds Will BE-
paid off this year, after which both
funds will be available. Twenty eight
thousand dollars year will soon give
TarTant county good roads all over the
county.
Reporter-"We cannot look for any
considerable Improvement in our roads
until after the present year,"
Said Colonel hambers-"Well, moth
inc very considerable. People are 10th
10 eXpend time and money on the worm
fence roads as they are now-liable to be
changed any moment. When the roads
are Strengthened and located permanent
" It will be different. Every days labor
placed upon road then, is put there to
stay and will be of permanent value.
People are fully alive to the necessities
of good roads. Think of it! How great
g distance will ten teams day travel
over q crooked road in month more
than is actually necessary on q straight
road? This extra and useless travel is
time, money, motive power and The wear
and tear of wagons and vehicles lost
besides the fact that these crooked roads,
being temporary, are never kept in first
class condition. Why, the citizens along
the line Of the Granbury road, Messrs.
Went Patterson, John Burford and others
are now asking the county to give them
bridge higher up on Clear Fork, for the
purpose of Strengthening their road.